Lions' St. Brown to be featured on sequel to Netflix series 'Quarterback'

Allen Park — As part of an anticipated sequel to the popular Netflix show "Quarterback," NFL Films has spent the past few months following Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Multiple sources within the organization have confirmed St. Brown is slated to be featured in the still-unannounced follow-up to the documentary series.

The sources requested anonymity because details of the series have not been released.

The original, eight-part series premiered during the summer. It followed three NFL quarterbacks — Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota. Each player was mic'd up for every game of the 2022 season and provided unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to their lives off the field.

"Playing quarterback in the NFL is a unique experience that has some pretty incredible ups and downs," said former quarterback Peyton Manning, who was an executive producer for the show through his Omaha Productions. "Thanks to this collaboration with our partners at NFL Films, 2PM Productions and Netflix, fans will be given a unique and intimate look at what life is like as a starting QB."

Netflix previously gauged Jared Goff's interest in appearing on the program, but Detroit's quarterback told 97.1-FM he considered it before turning the opportunity down.

“A multitude of reasons,” Goff said when asked why he voted against appearing. “I really don’t know if it’s as distracting as people may think, the way that they do it, but just wasn’t the right fit for me this year. Maybe one day."

Former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford also had conversations about appearing in the sequel, but shot down rumors he had reached an agreement in September.

If St. Brown's inclusion points to a pivot away from quarterbacks, he makes a compelling figure to feature. The son of a body builder John Brown, who twice earned the title Mr. Universe, St. Brown was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and has quickly become a foundational piece of the Lions' successful turnaround.

A 2022 Pro Bowler, he's on pace to shatter previous career-bests in receptions and receiving yards in 2023, hauling in 65 passes for 821 yards in eight appearances through Detroit's first nine games. Additionally, St. Brown brings some compelling quirks off the field, which are well known locally, but should appeal to a national audience. That includes his ability to recite the 16 wide receivers drafted ahead of him, his intense offseason workouts with his father and two football-playing brothers, and his daily, post-practice routine of catching 202 passes off the JUGS machine.

If the program follows its pattern from last year, the NFL Films crew will continue to follow St. Brown for the remainder of the 2023 season — one where the Lions are on pace to win their the team's first division title in three decades — with a likely air date in summer, 2024.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers